It was early April 2008, and "Twilight" hadn't yet become a global box-office phenomenon and set off an epidemic of pop-culture copycats seeking to suck up some of the franchise's supernatural lifeblood. Back then, when Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart were just two up-and-coming actors making a movie for an independent studio, MTV News traveled to the film's Portland, Oregon, set to find out just what was happening with this gothic-tinged love story everyone seemed to be buzzing about.

The duo were alternately shy and unguarded, jokey and awkward, and generally far different than they are these days, with the press invading every aspect of their personal and professional lives. That's why, even years later, our first-ever "Twilight" interview remains one of our favorite RPattz moments. And as we count down the days until "MTV First: Robert Pattinson" airs next Friday at 8:56 p.m. ET, we hauled the footage from our vaults.

"Kristen's the best actress of her generation, and that's why I wanted to do this movie. I don't know why she is, but she's better than everyone else," Pattinson told us, breaking out into laughter as he kept the attention on his co-star and away from himself.

Throughout the interview, they exchanged knowing glances, laughed at themselves and each other, and paused for long periods as they searched for the right word or anecdote. This was the "Twilight" stars, pre-media training, and it's utterly endearing. Can you imagine them now so openly discussing what it's like to smooch on camera?

"And [Bella] likes it," Stewart said. "She's a total sadomasochist, if you think about it."

Don't miss "MTV First: Robert Pattinson" this Friday at 8:56 p.m. ET on MTV and MTV.com. Tune in to see RPattz introduce a new "Water for Elephants" clip, followed by a live 30-minute interview on MTV.com. Tweet questions using the hashtag #askrob to get in the conversation!